MOSCOW, July 24. /TASS/. F-16 fighter jets won’t make much of a difference for Russia’s special military operation if they are supplied to Ukraine, as most of the conflict is happening on the ground, said Viktor Bondarev, the chairman of the Federation Council’s Defense and Security Committee.

"The main phase of the confrontation (the fighting itself) as part of the special military operation takes place on the ground (we, of course, destroy the enemy's military facilities from the air, as their air defenses aren’t as powerful as ours), so F-16 combat sorties (for which Ukraine does not have enough fuel or special equipment) will not make much of a difference," Bondarev told TASS.

According to Bondarev, Ukraine's infrastructure is "not quite suitable" for operating F-16s, as a large number of airfields, from which such aircraft could take off, have been put out of service.

"Secondly, Ukraine has no trained pilots who would be able to perform combat missions on F-16s. They will have to be trained, and it is bound to take time. The standard basic training course lasts 9 months and includes more than 300 hours of academic training and more than 670 hours of simulator training. After that, the cadet must make 130 sorties, practicing the use of missiles and bombs," the legislator said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told CNN that Ukraine will receive F-16 fighter jets, but their delivery will take several months. He said the F-16 issue was making progress.

The White House had previously announced plans to transfer these aircraft to Kiev by the end of the year, although such plans were non-existent as recently as spring. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Russia would perceive the delivery to Ukraine of fighter jets that have nuclear capable models as "a threat from the West in the nuclear domain.".